Victorians will soon be able to access three hours of free power in the middle of the day, every day of the week.

This could save families up to $300 per year off their energy bills, and up to $1,070 if they have solar panels and batteries.

Victoria’s Midday Power Saver offer will be available from 1 October 2026.

This will benefit households who can shift their electricity use to the middle of the day.

That includes people who work from home.

And the overall benefit to Victoria is reduced peak demand, which is good for reliability and security.

Under the plan, retailers will be required to offer a discounted tariff to households during the day.

About 2.6 million Victorian households will be eligible for the Midday Power Saver offer and can opt into the program with their energy provider.

More details, including the time periods and prices for the offer across the state, will be released in May.

A new memorial space honouring veterans, war widows and pioneer Jessie Mary Vasey was officially opened on Monday 23 March at Vasey RSL Care’s Brighton East Residential Aged Care facility.

The “Honouring Their Service” Memorial was officially opened by Ryan Batchelor MP, Upper House Member for Southern Metropolitan, during a special afternoon attended by residents, veterans, RSL representatives, staff and members of the community. Guests gathered to share stories and reflect on the legacy of service and sacrifice while enjoying a gaze at the new memorial.

The memorial was made possible through a $30,000 grant from the Victorian Government under the Victoria Remembers funding stream. The project transformed an underused space on the ground floor of the residential aged care facility into a dedicated memorial installation and gathering place for reflection and remembrance.

Chief Executive Officer Janna Voloshin said the organisation was grateful for the support that made the project possible. “We are very grateful to the Victorian Government for providing the funding that allowed this vision to become a reality,” Ms Voloshin said.

“We are incredibly proud that our Brighton East site now has a beautiful and meaningful space where residents, families and visitors can come together to commemorate the service and sacrifice of veterans, war widows and the enduring legacy of Jessie Mary Vasey.”

The memorial honours veterans who have served in the Australian and allied forces, while also recognising the contribution of war widows and the remarkable legacy of Jessie Mary Vasey, whose vision in establishing Vasey Housing in the 1950s laid the foundation for the work of Vasey RSL Care today.

Vasey RSL Care Board Chair Mike O’Meara OAM said the memorial was an important reminder of the organisation’s heritage and purpose. “As an organisation we are growing rapidly in response to the increasing demand for our services,” Mr O’Meara said. “We must always look to the future, but never turn our back on the past” Mr O’Meara said.

Today, Vasey RSL Care continues that legacy as one of Australia’s leading providers of ex-service accommodation, care and support. The organisation delivers affordable housing across eight metropolitan and three regional locations, home care services for older Australians wishing to remain in their own homes, and residential aged care services in Brighton, Brighton East, Bundoora and Frankston South. Vasey RSL Care also operates The V Centre Veteran Empowerment Program in Ivanhoe, supporting veterans through programs focused on wellbeing, connection and recovery.

The new memorial will provide residents, veterans and visitors with a meaningful space to reflect, remember and honour the service and sacrifice of those who have served for years to come.

My watch was blind

I woke down this morning.
My bed got out of me
and I felt a whole lot better.

I walked out of my house
and the bridge threw me
across Five Mile Creek.

The library was free.
It crossed at the traffic lights
and asked me to come inside

I said I had to go to work.
The library said: Why go to the city?
I’m a perfect workplace.

I opened a book on relationships.
The words turned into chocolates.
I ate some and wondered why

I wasn’t committed. Some of my exes
thought I should have
been … committed ….

My house appeared between bookshelves
and nagged at me to come home
so I borrowed the book and we left.

The TV watched me as I ate more chocolates.
My bed came trotting out for a cuddle
so I hopped in.

I took a ride into the bedroom
and closed my eyes hoping to eventually
fall asleep or … in love.

– Myron Lysenko

Myron Lysenko has published seven books of poetry. He lives in Woodend and convenes the monthly spoken word event Chamber Poets at the Woodend RSL.

Local Lines features poetry by locals about local and any other matters.
Please submit poems to Bill Wootton at cottlesbreedge@gmail.com

Words: Patrice O’Shea

Entry into the gardens is always part surprise, part inspiration. The towering trees that sit iconically above the town become the canopy of green, cool and magic that are the very unusual legacy of early shire councillors, local philanthropists, a 19th century scientist and any number of local gardeners.

The decision in the late 1850s to take the notable volcanic hill overlooking Daylesford and make it a place of public enjoyment and focused horticulture, has provided the town and our visitors with a unique collection of often rare, mature trees and cool climate plants in a remarkable setting which now constitutes a site of national and even international recognition.
The significance of our botanic gardens has been recognised by the Victorian Heritage Council “as a rare example of a botanic garden spectacularly sited on an extinct volcanic cone which allows a panoramic view, aided by the 1938 Pioneer Memorial Tower, as well as vistas within and out of the gardens and from the township to the gardens”. It also refers to it as “the most prominent local landmark” of the town. Its heritage registration (H2022) also lists the large number of rare conifers, the significance of which makes it a notable botanic destination.
Its historical significance is also underlined by the remaining elements of Taylor and Sangster’s grand Victorian design that exist in the broad east-west path, the lawns and specimen trees and, above all, the fernery and rustic cascade. These take the significance of the site to an even higher level. As a registered heritage site, there are statutory limits on what can be done to the gardens without official permission from Heritage Victoria.
Public gardens as we know them date from the 1840s in the UK. That Daylesford began the major development of our gardens in 1863 is indicative of the foresight of the early council. It was looking to provide the community with a place of peaceful relaxation, botanic education and sheer beauty. And our community still continues to enjoy Wombat Hill in exactly that way. Local people walk, picnic, reflect, create and volunteer in an environment that is unique. It is a place that attracts young families, gardeners, those seeking the gentle outdoors and strolling dog owners. The café and the tower enhance the visitor experience too.
The long list of officially specified significant trees were contributions from Baron Sir Ferdinand von Mueller, W. E. Stanbridge, a wide variety of local community members, then and now, and more recently, the Friends of the Gardens.
Over the years, complementing the important pinetum and collection of other European trees, the gardens have also developed a widely visited and much appreciated begonia display. Although smaller than the Ballarat begonias, the quality of the plants continues to attract summer and autumn visitors and much admiration. The collection of hellebores of different varieties is now arguably the biggest open to the public, in Victoria at least, and is a feature of the gardens in winter. The hellebores were of central interest in the 2024 Gardens in Winter festival that attracted a crowd of interested visitors and community members to the town, in a usually quiet period.
The cultural significance of the gardens is noted in the 2007 Conservation Management Plan, which has statutory authority in guiding their further development and maintenance: “As one of the finest examples of a nineteenth century pinetum in Australia, an unusual garden type in this country, and exemplified by its collection of mature trees, many of which were donated by renowned botanist Ferdinand von Mueller for the purpose of acclimatisation, display and distribution, and a number of which have been recognised as individually significant specimens. These include pinus ponderosa (western yellow pine), tilia cordata (small-leaved European linden), pinus coulteri (big cone pine), abies nordmanniana (caucasian fir) x 2, abies pinsapo (Spanish fir − the largest known in Australia), cedrus atlantica f. glauca (blue atlas cedar), and pinus wallichiana (blue or himalayan pine). Some 15 additional specimens are also considered worthy of individual recognition. [It is also recognised] for its collection of mature elms dating back to the 19th century, which form part of a genetically important, shrinking global repository.”
Hepburn Shire and its residents continue to be the custodians of a community and cultural asset of huge importance and value. That it is one that can be enjoyed in so many ways by so many people and which attracts such warm and ongoing appreciation of the town and its history, is something we need to value and cherish. That significance has been recognised by the Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, a local volunteer support group which was founded in 1995.
In the past 15 years, the Friends have raised approximately $800,000 which has enabled them to fund a number of specific projects which would otherwise have come out of shire budgets.
These include a whole range of stonework – the restoration of the cascade, the begonia house retaining wall, a series of stone seats (as specified by the CMP), the steps beside the fernery – the purchase of rare trees to enhance the existing collection, the ornamental fence and gates at the entry to the gardens and sculptural artwork across the gardens.
What has become the extensive and widely celebrated hellebore collection has been the work of the Friends in collaboration with Peter Leigh of Post Office Nursery, Ashbourne. The Friends also underwrote the restoration of the day basin and landscaping round the tower with a contribution in excess of $200,000. Further work on the rustic cascade ponds and the replacement of the water pump for the reticulation of the cascade have also been paid for by the Friends.
Hepburn Shire Council Infrastructure and Delivery director Bruce Lucas said the council continued to enjoy a strong relationship and partnership with the Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens. “Council allocates significant operational funds and effort each year to manage this site (and many others across the shire) and also consider improvement and upgrade opportunities in line with the adopted masterplan. Undertaking these improvement and upgrade projects nearly always relies on external funding partnerships and the Friends of Wombat Hill are always ready to support and contribute to important projects.
“The partnership and support from the Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens is, and has been deeply valued for many years, and many of the improvement projects completed would not have been possible without their significant financial contributions. The fundraising ability of the Friends group and their commitment to invest this into improvement and upgrade projects has been enormous over an extended period and evidenced by the reinstatement of the front gates, upgrading the fernery cascade and the recent completion of the day basin and water rill where the Friends contributed $200,000 for these initiatives. Council looks forward to the continued collaboration and partnership over many years to come.”
A conscious effort to promote the gardens across widely followed social media and through public events at open gardens, the Daylesford Show, the Highland Gathering and through support of the NYE Gala has also been an important part of the work of the Friends. The successful partnership that the Friends have established with the shire in itself represents how important Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens are to our community, both as a highly valuable piece of heritage and a remarkable source of pleasure, interest and relaxation. Image: Frank Page

Kim Johnson grew up in the small NSW rural town of Murrumburrah, about 150km west of Canberra. When he was 11 he was walking to school with his brother when he noticed a man painting a huge mural on a shop wall. He was fascinated – so much so that he was not watching where he was walking and smacked straight into a light post, much to the amusement of his brother who had not even noticed the artwork before him. Kim, who with wife Jill, are the people behind Signsation, told his story to Donna Kelly.

“I couldn’t wait for the school bell to ring so I could get back to see the completed work. It was a masterpiece. It was around the time of decimal currency and the artist had painted a man holding a one-dollar note in one and a cent coin in the other.
“It was magnificent and I was hooked. When I retold the story to my mother she said the man was a ‘signwriter’ and that was it. That’s what I want to be – a signwriter.
“I was inspired and entered several poster competitions at school with reasonable success. At least Mum was impressed, telling me ‘well you have got some talent, most of this family would struggle drawing stick figures’.
“I met my wife Jill while she was teaching in my hometown, and she asked me to help her paint a mural on a wall at her school. After working on the mural for several days I realised that Jill was quite an artist herself so I managed to convince her that it would be great if she resigned from teaching and we would paint our way around this beautiful country of ours.
“We did this for 12 months. We worked in every mainland state of Australia and after our sojourn around Oz, we settled in Mannum, South Australia painting houseboats and ski boats for 11 years and then it was back to NSW.
“Fast forward 30 years and our three children had finished school and were attending university in Melbourne with no intentions of returning interstate, so Jill and I decided to move to Victoria.
“A friend thought Daylesford was the place for us, and he was right. We moved to Hepburn Springs in 2015 and work started to flow almost immediately.
“We mostly work in Daylesford, Hepburn Springs, Castlemaine, Maldon and Clunes. Cottage signs, shopfronts and murals are our bread and butter. Most recently we have been commissioned to paint backdrop murals for museum displays at the Maldon Machinery Museum. This is the kind of work I most enjoy.
“One of the things I most enjoy about my job is the interaction with our clients, helping them decide what is best for the promotion of their business then seeing it through to the finished product.
“After nearly 50 years of ‘slapping’ paint on surfaces you’d think I would have had enough and I thought so too, so I decided to retire. But I forgot to tell my customers, so here I am still painting, still slapping it on, until I can’t hold my brush steady.”

Above, Kim painting one of the Maldon Vintage Machinery & Museum murals

Rose Foulds may only be 19 but she is already wise beyond her years – and keen on helping others. She also realises there is more than one way to navigate life.
When she finished Year 12 at Daylesford College she applied for a Bachelor of Psychological Sciences at Deakin University in Geelong but it wasn’t quite what she wanted.
“I went home and reset and then I got a job at Cooked with Pathway Essentials in Daylesford in August last year. I had already been working at Brew Jays before that and that’s how I made the connection.
“I’m a hospitality staff member so I do the events like markets and help out in the van at the Masonic Hall during the week. I also help train and work with clients – and that’s why I am now doing a Diploma of Community Services so that then I can get the qualification to be able to do support work.”

Rose said she loves both the work and studying towards her certificate although it keeps her very busy.
“But I can see what I’m doing it all for and that there’s an end goal to it all because it’s a similar industry to what I wanted to go into to begin with, which is helping people. It’s just an alternative pathway.”
Rose said she had not always seen her career choice but during high school she had been through a few life experiences and lessons which “turned on a switch”.
“I know I will be fulfilled in a role where I can help others and pass on advice and lend a caring ear. Just so people have someone they can talk to who they know will listen. That’s a really positive thing.”
Rose said while her current role at Cooked, which helps train up clients towards meaningful employment, was more helping when and where she was asked, she was happy to teach clients how to make coffee and interacted with them every day.
“One of my managers said to me that is something I should get more involved in, if I want to, so that is why I am doing the two-year diploma course at Federation TAFE in Ballarat. It is quite a big workload, because I am working as well, but I have been able to manage everything so far and get the sleep I need. But I need to stay on top of that. I can see that it could become quite a lot.”
Rose said she encouraged other school leavers to look at the many different avenues they can use to find their way into their career choices.
“Some of my colleagues got into it through just supporting people that they actually knew in their life and that got them into the industry. Everyone gets into things differently and whatever kind of thing someone’s interested in there’s always alternative pathways that can be more suited to your lifestyle and how you are able to learn and adapt.”
Rose said while Cooked was a community for its clients, it was also a community for its employees.
“It’s a real community hub for the clients, the workers and the public, that’s full of supportive people who are inclusive and I’ve felt that myself and it’s been something that has been a steady thing in my life for a couple of years now – people I can turn to for advice.”
Rose said when she graduates she wants to keep working with Cooked and Pathway Essentials and then possibly go into case management and a role where she can make a real difference in the care industry.“There’s a lot of people who slip through the cracks and while you can’t help everybody you want to do your best and have the power to be able to help people who aren’t really heard as much.”

Above, hospitality staff member Rose Foulds with Cooked program participant Jackson Waitman

Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Kyle Barnes

Hepburn Shire Council has issued a media release over the incident involving coffee being thrown on the council’s Chief Executive Officer Bradley Thomas by a community member.
“(This) has now been heard in the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court. We are pleased that there has been a resolution. The community member pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful assault and was issued a fine and placed on a good behaviour bond. The verdict demonstrates that authorities are taking these matters seriously and abusive behaviour will not be tolerated.
“Council continues to advocate to state and federal governments for legislative change that protects councillors and council staff. In particular, we are urging the state government to explicitly include local government within the scope of workplace protection orders, ensuring that council staff and elected representatives are afforded the same legal protections as those in other sectors.
“Additionally, we call on the federal government to strengthen the powers of the eSafety Commissioner, so that they can effectively respond to high-volume attacks and coordinated online abuse targeting local government officials and staff. These reforms are essential to creating a safer working environment and upholding the integrity of public service at all levels of government.”

If you loved The Block’s Daylesford show you just missed the chance to rent Robby and Mat’s House 5. The fully furnished four-bedroom house at 1 Cedar Lane has been leased, with an asking rent of $2500 a week. That’s $140,000 per year.

The four-bedroom and three-bathroom home, with a pool, was bought by billionaire, and eccentric bidder, Danny Wallis for $3,099,999.10.
The new tenant will have to be prepared to pop in and out of their car to move bollards from the private Cedar Lane – which have been put in place with a sign stating “Residents Cars Only”.
That is to perhaps stop the Blockheads and others who want to take a quick drive past for a stickybeak at the properties.
House 3, which wonThe Block 2025, is now being marketed as “a private wellness estate in Daylesford”
The owner, a buyer named Alex – placed the winning bid of $3.41 million by phone through Buxton agent Peter Burley.
Meanwhile, two of the homes, houses 1 and 2, still have ‘for sale’ boards in front of them. Contestants Ben and Emma, and Han and Can, failed to win any prize money after their homes were were passed in at auction last October on vendor bids of $3.1 million.
But there’s no stopping The Block. It’s back for a new season in 2026, this time in Mt Eliza on the Mornington Peninsula. The three judges, Marty Fox, Darren Palmer and Shaynna Blaze are already busy filming at 109 Old Mornington Road.
On its Facebook page, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council said the show was “expected to bring significant economic benefits to our region and will showcase Mt Eliza’s premium beaches and real estate”.
Filming is planned to take place over a 12-week period with construction happening until October.

Words & image: Donna Kelly

Forest Fire Management Victoria take advantage of favourable weather and forest conditions across the Midlands district to help reduce the risk of bushfires to communities and the environment.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Michael Condon said reducing fuels like grass, leaves, bark, shrubs and small fallen branches meant fires burn less intensely, spread more slowly and were safer for firefighters to control. “As soon as the right weather and forest conditions arrive, we’ll make sure all available crews and resources are out delivering planned burning.” This year, planned burns will be conducted in state forests, parks and reserves around Daylesford, Trentham, Ballarat, Linton, Ross Creek and Snake Valley and Beaufort. Victorians can register for the latest updates about planned burning at www.plannedburns.ffm.vic.gov.au

Winner of Moorabool Shire’s Community Event of the Year, the Blackwood Woodchop & Easter Carnival offers an action-packed day out.
In its 125th year, it features one of the oldest woodchopping competitions in Victoria. The carnival begins with a street parade, followed by the woodchop and music program, plus loads of other fun stuff – gold panning, gumboot throwing, pet show, treasure hunt, kids’ novelty games and races, face painting, tug-o-war, market stalls, delicious eats and licensed bars. Head to the Blackwood Recreation Reserve on Saturday, April 4 from 10am to 6pm.

More than 220,000 Victorian families have received a free Baby Bundle, packed with essentials to help new parents and carers through the first few months.
Every first-time parent in Victoria is eligible for a free Baby Bundle which includes: a nappy bag; safe sleeping bag; first aid kit; sun hat; grow suit; picture books; emergency contacts; and parenting information. First-time foster and adoptive parents with babies up to three months are also eligible for a Baby Bundle.

Community groups are encouraged to apply for funding from Hepburn Shire Council’s latest Community Grants Program.
Applications for grants from the program, which supports community-based projects and initiatives, will close on Friday, May 15. Grants of up to $5,000 are awarded to not-for-profit community groups to deliver projects that promote community wellbeing, increase social connection, and build capacity for long-term sustainability.

Hepburn Shire Council’s free digital literacy program, Tech Talk and Tea, is back from Tuesday, March 24.
Sessions include how to avoid scams, tips for getting the most out of a smartphone, and using library apps such as BorrowBox. They will be held on Tuesdays in Daylesford at the Duke Street council office from 10.30am to 12.30pm and at the Creswick Hub from 2pm to 4pm. Bookings are not required. Contact library staff for more information.

The 2026 Daylesford College Live4Life members have joined the Blue Tree project, a movement that encourages communities to paint trees blue as striking visual reminders to speak up and help reduce mental health stigma.
As part of the Live4Life induction, the new members met with the council and discussed inclusion, mental health, and the importance of applying an intersectional lens when supporting the diverse needs of young people in the community. The workshop encouraged students to consider how overlapping identities, such as culture, gender, ability, or lived experience, shape an individual’s access to support and sense of belonging.

Passengers on the Ballarat, Craigieburn, Upfield and Seymour train lines are now able to use tap and go technology.
Passengers travelling on a full fare can now tap on and tap off with a Mastercard or Visa credit or debit card, smartphone or smartwatch. Passengers planning to transfer to another train line, tram or bus must use a myki from the start of their journey.